Migrant beggars in Sweden splashed with acid in suspected hate attack

Two people begging in central Stockholm were attacked with acid in what police suspect was an unprovoked hate crime. One of the victims – who are reportedly EU migrants – suffered facial injuries after a passerby threw a corrosive liquid at him.

The incident happened at lunchtime on Friday in Berzelii Park in
the Swedish capital. A man and a woman, described by Stockholm
police as EU migrants, were apparently begging at the time of the
attack, according to The Local. The woman escaped without
injuries, though parts of her cloths were damaged.

The man was taken to Karolinska Hospital in Solna where a team of
medical staff, wearing protective suits, treated his face for
burns. It is unknown at present what type of acid was used by the
attacker.

“He had a swollen face and was taken to hospital. His
injuries are unclear and we do not know how extensive they
are,” police spokesman Tommy Dimitrakis told the Swedish
newspaper Aftonbladen. Police said both the man and the women had
been discharged on Saturday.

Police say it was a completely unprovoked attack and are treating
the incident as an aggravated assault. They are currently
searching for the perpetrator

“The offender ran from the scene. An onlooker gave chase, but
was unable to catch him,” Dimitrakis added. “It was a
terrible incident and of course we are now investigating to see
if we can shed any light on what happened.”

This is only the latest attack on beggars in Stockholm. Two weeks
ago a person was attacked outside a supermarket with fireworks
after asking for money in public.

The number of rallies by anti-immigration protesters and
neo-Nazis has risen sharply over the past three years in the
Scandinavian country, and has reached record levels despite a
decline in the number of far-right groups, according to the
anti-racist Expo Foundation. From 2013 to 2014, the number of
such incidents increased from 2,334 to 2,864, or 23 percent,
reaching a rate of seven to eight a day.

“It’s an enormous increase. Just in a couple of years, in
three years' time, it has almost doubled. We have never seen this
many activities before,” Anna-Sofia Quensel, Expo
investigator, told Swedish Radio on Tuesday, The Local reported.

“The major part of activities is the spreading of propaganda,
meaning sharing flyers, putting up stickers, often by
night,” Quensel said.